1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a testing technique, and more particularly, to a testing technique for a remote control function of a television system.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the modern development of electronic products, multimedia systems, such as home theaters, have become prevalent in many households. In a multimedia system, image display equipment is one of the most crucial hardware devices. Therefore, it is a critical issue drawing much attention of image display equipment manufacturers to ensure that products leaving a factory are in proper working order. To ensure that the products function as expected, various tests are often performed. For example, the tests usually include judgments of whether a television system correctly receives remote control signals and executes corresponding procedures (e.g., turning on, turning off, and switching channels). By identifying malfunctioning products in advance, repairing, refund, or exchange of faulty devices may be effectively avoided to the satisfaction of the consumers.
Current wireless remote controllers are generally based on radio frequency (RF) or optic sensing technologies. That is, RF signals or infrared signals are utilized as control signals for communicating with a host. In current tests for remote functions of a television system, test personnel control a remote controller to transmit a control signal, and observe with the naked eye for corresponding responses from the television system. Obviously, the manufacturers can only afford random sampling of a minority of products for testing due to limited manpower.
Moreover, specifications of remote control signals adopted by different manufacturers are usually different. In other words, a remote control signal suitable for a television system of one manufacturer may not conform to a specification of another television system. Moreover, panel arrangements of remote controllers of different manufacturers may also vary. The above issues exacerbate complexities of testing procedures for various types of television systems.